


Sometimes You Need To Go Through Hell (To Get To Heaven)

by Riqis_Inna_Sunja



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-21 12:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9548660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riqis_Inna_Sunja/pseuds/Riqis_Inna_Sunja
Summary: Supernatural / Destiel AU: War has broken out between the armies of Heaven and Hell. Abaddon leads demonkind in a bid for control over the Earth. Amidst the chaos, Dean is a demon who has turned his back on Perdition, all for the sake of an archangel named Castiel.





	1. Prologue: Speaking in Tongues

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-write of my fic When Heaven Met Hell, which I haven't update in like 4 years. I haven't seen any SPN passed s10e05, and I don't really remember any of 9 or 10, and only about half of 8....I should have stopped at 5 tbh. So if you've continued on, don't expect any characters from the most recent season or two to show up (what season is it even on right now?).
> 
> Based off of this [gifset.](http://dahliasheng.tumblr.com/post/69332706824/supernatural-destiel-au-war-has-broken-out)

“Dean?” Abaddon asked, looking to one of her best soldiers. Last she'd heard, the man had been spying on the angels somewhere near Kansas.

“Hey Abby, just came to say adios.” The man said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders and allowing the leather jacket to shift over his flannel. 

She felt a vein in her vessel's forehead twitch. First of all, his choice of clothing was _not_ befitting a soldier of his rank, and she hated the so called 'style' with a burning passion; he knew not to dress like that around her. Secondly, he _knew_ calling her Abby would have him in Alastair's chamber for at least a month. She knew he had a rebellious streak; most demons that were originally human souls tend to be that way. What she didn't know is that he had a death wish. She set her pen down and gave him a cold smile.

“You'll have to elaborate on that. Carefully.” She warned. 

“Yeah, you know, I just wanted to put in an official resignation. I'm leaving. And, just so everything's clear,” He pushed his jacket and flannel off his shoulder, revealing a plain tank top strap. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the demon. With a grin, he pushed the sleeves further down, revealing his deltoid, where Abaddon's brand had disappeared.

In it's place was a burn in the shape of a hand. 

Her eyes turned black on instinct, and she shot up from her desk so quickly that the chair flew into the wall behind her. With a wink, he disappeared.

“DEAN!”


	2. What Cha Gonna Do

~1 Year Later~

“Hello, Dean.” Abaddon whispered in his ear as she locked her arms under his arms from behind, reveling in his struggling.  
Said demon flailed in his former leader's grip, eyes shifting black as she tore at his hair, before returning to normal as she pushed him down, forcing him to his knees.

“Did you _really_ think you could get away from me?” Her tone was sickly sweet, but there was malice hidden under the surface. She gave a single, clipped laugh as she gripped his hair tighter and pulled his head back, smiling at him. “You little traitor.”

“Yeah, well...” He huffed, staring up at her. Whatever he was about to say died on his lips as he stared at her amused smirk. He decided to diverted whatever he was thinking about into an insult instead, hoping to throw her off enough to let him get away. He grunted as she  
yanked his hair again.

“How 'bout you go get bent?” he found himself saying, resisting the urge to groan or roll his eyes, because, really? That's what he was able to come up with? He closed his eyes for a brief second and sent out a prayer.

Abaddon narrowed her eyes as he closed his. There was something different about him; something she'd felt a year ago in her office, but had brushed aside. Now, though, he reeked of it. So much so that it was hard to ignore. She tilted her head until it clicked, causing her lip to curl up in disgust. He smelled of Grace, and it was absolutely sickening; one of her best soldiers hadn't just had an angel burn off her brand, he'd _shacked up with one_.

After a second, her smile reappeared. She could use this.

“Well...I _could_ just rip you apart, inch. By. Inch,” She began, trailing a finger over Dean's shirt as if trying to figure out exactly _how_ to pull him apart. “Until not even _God_ could make you whole again.” 

She reveled in the anger and fear that fell off him at that moment, but both demons flinched and had to turn their heads as a blinding light appeared from the side. Screams from her soldiers echoed as they were smote, and Abaddon's stare snapped back to Dean.

“You called your angel?” She hissed, thinking back to his closed eyes. Dean smirked, triumphant, as his eyes flashed black. Her shock allowed him to grip her wrist and twist it away from him.

“I'd run, bitch; Cas is no angel when he's pissed.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Or horny.” He added for his own benefit. Abaddon sneered as she wrenched her arms hands away from him, wiping them down on her clothes as though the Grace had rubbed off on her.

“That's why you left.” She stated, releasing him and backing up. “Not even for an angel, but for an _Archangel,_ ” After all, there was no mistaking that level of Grace. “How in the Hell did you even manage that?” She hissed, getting nothing but a pleased smile in response.

“Say what you want, he's a demon in the sheets.”

Before she could formulate a response to _that_ disgusting commentary, a faint glint caught her eye and she jumped back just in time to avoid getting impaled by an angel blade. She glared as Dean flipped it around in his hands before holding it at the ready.

“Dean?” A rough voice called in the distance, setting Abaddon on edge.

“Over here!” He called, glancing at Abaddon. There was a moment's standoff where the two just stared into each others' eyes, both still black as a void, before Dean spoke up again. 

“Like I said, bitch,” The black left his eyes, leaving the startling green ones to laugh at her. “Run.”

The next moment, Abaddon was gone and Castiel appeared next to him.

Dean slung his arm over the archangel's shoulder and grinned. Without speaking, Castiel held his free hand out, causing Dean to sigh sadly before handing over the angel blade he'd previously lifted off the other man.

“Are you alright?” Castiel asked after putting the blade into his inner pocket.

“Yep, just a little run-in with the old boss; she didn't like my resignation.” He answered with a small shrug, jostling the smaller man a bit. 

“You encountered Abaddon.” Castiel translated.

“Yes, Cas, I ran into Abaddon.” Dean answered with another sigh. He never understood why, if Cas understood what he'd said, the other man found the need to reword it and make it sound so boring. The man tilted his head and looked at his fair haired partner.

“What did she say?”

“Just called me a traitor, threatened to maul me-” Castiel's grip on his hand tightened as his Grace flare slightly, causing Dean to pause for a second. “-then I tried to stab her.” 

The angel seemed happier at that, and Dean grinned at him.

“C'mon, let's head back.” He continued. He tugged Castiel's hand and headed for his baby; a beautiful black '67 Impala he'd found upon the first month he'd stayed on earth. It was all but destroyed, but Dean built it back up and it looks brand new now. Every time he sees the beauty, he gives himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done.

“Are we going to the Bunker?” Castiel asked, and the demon nodded in reply, opening the door for him.

“You're staying the night,” Dean demanded. “You've been stuck in heaven for three weeks and I've barely seen you.” He slid into the driver's seat and started the car without another word. 

Cas has known him long enough to known he shouldn't argue.

* * *

“What are you doing here, angel?” Abaddon asked, leveling him with dark glare. Behind him were the burnt bodies of the demons he'd smote on his way her office. He gave her a condescending smile.

“I just thought we should have a chat about a mutual annoyance,” The man answered, hands clasped behind his back. “I'm not happy, Abaddon; your demon is tainting my angel.”

“ _Your_ angel converted _my_ demon.” She bit back pettily. The simply raised an eyebrow in response, unimpressed, before continuing.

“I propose a temporary truce until we can deal with them _both_ ,” He said, stressing the word. “Accordingly.”

Abaddon looked him over in consideration. She didn't trust the winged glow-sticks any further than their wingspan in a meat suit, but she's still pissed about Dean, and he was at the top of her list now.

“Fine.” She answered, her tone clipped. “You've got a deal,” She didn't miss the man's eyeroll at her wording, but she dismissed it for the time being. “Both sides are to aim their efforts at the Archangel...”

“Castiel.” He provided with a small smirk. She rolled her eyes.

“Castiel, and the Demon known as Dean. I'll send out the message.” The angel nodded and turned to leave. Her voice stopped him. “Do not betray me, Raphael.”

“Now why would I ever do that?” He asked with a smirk, disappearing in a ruffle of feathers. She glared at the spot where he left.


	3. Hey Man, Nice Shot

The Bunker wasn't exactly what it sounded like; it was actually just an old abandoned hotel- Elysian Fields- that Dean had cleaned up and revamped. He was surprised by how much one could get done in a year. The lights still flickered occasionally, but he didn't have them on that much anyways. The heat and air conditioning didn't work, but neither the angel nor the demon required it. There were even wards to hide it from both demons and angels-with them being the exceptions of course. In other words, it was perfect for them.

Occasionally, though not often, the gods of other religions would come to stay; their excuses being that Dean and Cas were two of the only beings in the Abrahamic Religions that didn't piss them off. During that time, the hotel was back to perfect condition; no flickering lights, the air conditioning works, and there was always a buffet table at the ready, though, per Dean and Cas's request, there were no humans on the menu.

Today happened to be one of those occasions.

The smile on Dean's face dropped when he opened the door and came face to face Baldur. He gave a quiet sigh; it looks like his fun with Cas would have to wait.

“Hey, man, what're you doin' here?” He asked, taking in the pristine conditions of the hotel. Courtesy of Mercury, no doubt; he spent the most time there.

“I can't simply visit?” The god asked. When the demon just raised a silent eyebrow in response, the god's shoulders slumped and he looked to the ground. “Kali is...frustrated with me, and I decided it best to give her some time to cool down.”

Dean let out a short laugh. “Kali doesn't just get frustrated, she gets pissed. What the hell did you do?” He asked, pouring the god a drink. He took it gratefully, swirling the liquid in the glass as he cringed at the memory.

“She...caught me with Nanna, a deity from my own pantheon...I decided to hide here.” He admitted.

“You're still alive? How fast did you pop outta there?” Dean asked in shock as he patted Baldur on the back.

“And why did you betray your relationship in the first place?” Castiel added, tilting his head in confusion.

“Ah, Nanna is my wife...I had separated from her to be with Kali. She returned to me in a moment of weakness and that's how Kali found us,” Baldur answered. “I did indeed leave rather quickly. Nanna did as well, returning home where Kali couldn't reach. I chose to come here and take my chances with the Peace contract you enforce.”

“Way to drag us into the issue.” Dean scoffed.

“My apologies.”

“Whatever, Kali knows what happens if she breaks the Peace contract; all of you do.” Dean shrugged.

The Peace contract was exactly what it sounded like; in the event that any of the gods begin to have strains between them, they come here to relax or figure things out in a mutual environment. They cannot kill, maim, use their powers on, or otherwise harm each other. They may not level the hotel or its surrounding area. They can relax and talk civilly, asking for advice from others staying there- usually, it's just a tactless comment from Dean, and Castiel asking why they do not just solve problems the way him and Dean do. _This_ usually ends with Dean explaining why not everyone can solve things with sex; it also usually ends the gods' conversations for a few hours as everyone tries to avoid looking each other in the eyes.

The contract is signed- with a personal sworn statement by each god, goddess, or supernatural being- in the blood of the signer. The contract is enforced with magic from a god or goddess from each religion, making it nigh unbreakable. If the contract were to be breached, the deity or being would be forced to relinquish their powers for as long as Dean or Castiel see fit.

“I believe Kali will refrain, out of respect for you two above all else, but it will take some time to come to an agreement that would make it safe for me outside the hotel.” Baldur spoke up after a moment of silence. Dean shook his head.

“I don't doubt it man,” He refilled his glass and got one of his own. He handed another to Cas and filled it up. “I am not lookin' forward to her showin' up.” Baldur and Castiel nodded in agreement.

“Nor am I, my friend.”

* * *

Sam Winchester wasn't happy. 

Not only was this fight between the angels and demons destroying several parts of the world, but a goddamn Trickster decided that Sam was his new play toy. True, Sam ruined his last 'just deserts' murder, but that was five months ago! The annoying bastard was still here messing with his head.

Also, not only had he been changing reality around Sam to see how he'd react, but he'd keep randomly dropping in at the motels Sam was staying at, shuffling a lollipop around his mouth and chatting to Sam as though he was an old buddy just passing through.

No matter how many time Sam tried to kill him-and it was many- the stake dipped in a victim's blood didn't seem to work. It's been two months since Sam stopped trying.

Today was one of those days.

Sam had been working on a hunt in Muncie, Indiana; some random werewolf with twice the obsession over human hearts. He was getting ready to head out with his shotgun and pistol and deal with it, when the Trickster popped in.

“Hey, Sammy! What're you doing in Muncie?” He asked, ever present candy in his hand. Sam opened his mouth to respond, probably with something along the lines of 'piss off', but he waved the hunter off before he could even respond. “Doesn't matter. There's a great hotel nearby that I think you'd like!”

Before Sam could protest, there was a moment of black and the sound of wings and then they reappeared in a lobby. There were three men and a woman-whose arms were on fire- and, ok, what the _hell?_. He shifted his eyes towards the men just in time to see startled black eyes meet his.

He fired his salt round without a second thought.

“Lok-”

“Loki-”

“Gabriel-”

“Gabe, what the hell?!” The demon he'd shot yelled over the other three. The Trickster had the gall to looked sheepish.

“Sorry. Forgot about the gun.”


	4. Bad Company

“How the hell do you just _forget_ a loaded shotgun, Gabe?” Dean asked angrily, stomping up to the shocked hunter and tearing the weapon from his grip. He quickly tossed it behind him to Castiel, and the archangel disappeared to put it in the weapons safe they had below the Bunker. Dean never took his eyes off the hunter, who quickly adopted what Dean could only describe as a bitch face once the gun was out of his hands.

“It's pretty easy to forget, actually,” Gabriel answered, offering Dean a snickers. When the demon just glared, he continued. “Y'know, when it doesn't effect you.” He finished with a cheeky grin.

“Well, it effects _me_ , you asshat,” Dean answered, rubbing his sore chest through his now torn shirt. “You're lucky it didn't ruin my jacket.”

“Look at it this way, Dean-o: now you're holy too.”

“Dean is in no way any holier than he was before getting shot, brother,” Castiel replied as he reappeared beside the demon, tilting his head. “Why would you say this?”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, but the hunter suddenly cut him off.

“Where'd you take my gun?”

Castiel turned his eyes towards him. “To the weapons safe,” He answered, continuing without pause. “You must be the one Gabriel has been speaking of these past months.”

It was a testament to how weird Sam's life has gotten that he just turned to the Trickster- Gabe? Gabriel?- and shot him a glare. “You've been telling demons about me?”

“Ok, one,” The man in question began. “Dean is the only demon in the room. And he's, like, the only one I talk to because all the others would rather see me dead,” They both studiously ignored Dean's comment of 'I'm pretty sure I'd like to see you dead, too.' as he continued. “Two, I only tell Castiel about you; Dean just happens to always be there.”

“That's because you always pop into our bedroom, Gabriel!” Dean fumed, throwing his arms up. Sam was still trying to process the fact that this demon wasn't killing him when the rest of what was said caught up to him. Bypassing the mention of bedrooms, Sam focused on the names he'd just learned, and promptly felt his brain short circuit. 

By the amused look on Gabriel's face, the man knew it too.

“Your name's Gabriel.”

“Yup.”

“A being named Castiel, who is not a demon, called you 'brother'.”

“Indeed he did.”

“Castiel is the name of an archangel.”

“It is.” Gabriel said with a grin.

“Gabriel is also the name of an archangel.”

“Imagine that.”

“You're not a Trickster.”

“I wouldn't say that.”

Sam let his hand come up to his face as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You're the Archangel Gabriel?”

“I was, I'm in WitPro now.” Gabriel answered, sucking on a lollipop like this happened every day. Hell, maybe for him it did.

“He was also Loki for quite some time when our actual Loki died.” The man, who'd up until now been silent, piped up. Sam groaned.

“ _'Our'_ Loki?” He asked, not really wanting the answer.

“Yes, I am Baldur, of the Norse Gods.” The man answered. That seemed to spring the woman from whatever silence she'd fallen into, because she rolled her eyes.

“Loki, as fun as it was to meet your little Human Pet, we were in the middle of something.” She drawled, turning towards Baldur. 

“Humans aren't pets, Kali.” Dean spoke up, giving the goddess- _goddess, jesus_ \- a cold glare. She looked back to him with lidded eyes full of judgment.

“Just because you _used_ to be one, Dean, doesn't mean you need to champion for them,” She bit back. “After all, what good did they ever do you?”

Sam doesn't think he'll ever get the sight of a demon giving a full body flinch at words, which certainly weren't religious text, out of his head. He looked like he'd had holy water thrown into his face. In a blink, Castiel was in front of Dean and glaring at Kali. The goddess, for all that she didn't show any remorse, let her eyes fall to the ground under the archangel's ire.

“That was out of place, Kali.” Castiel's monotone voice carried over the lobby, and Sam was pretty sure he didn't just imagine Gabriel subtly moving in front of him.

“I'll not change my views.” She declared, still not looking up.

“You _will_ change your tone,” Castiel demanded. “Or you will leave until invited back.”

“Cas.” Dean whispered, grabbing the archangel's tan trenchcoat and tugging slightly. The man took his eyes off the goddess to look at the demon, a question shifting his features. “It's fine. Her and Baldur need to talk shit out anyways.” With that, he was gone; disappeared between one blink and the next.

“Where'd he go?” Sam whispered to Gabriel, suddenly on edge without the demon in sight. Gabriel leaned back to whisper his reply as the other three beings in the room remained a tableau of glares and averted gazes.

“The roof. He always goes there when he's upset.”

Sam took a moment to absorb the fact that _demons get upset_ , in a very human fashion, and that this Dean seemed to be upset about _humans_ in particular. Before he could ask another question- and he had at least thirty- Gabriel popped behind the desk and then returned to his side, dropping a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, this has been fun,” He said, lifting his other hand to show the room keys he'd grabbed. “But me and Sam are just gonna go see ourselves to our room.”

That was the last thing he heard before another brief moment of black and he appeared in a well decorated suite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I do have and explanation for Kali's comment to Dean. It will come at an unknown later chapter, or a one-shot connected to this story once it ends.


	5. Bad Time (To Be in Love)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting guys! Here's the next part!

“I will leave you to your conversation,” Castiel said, edge still in his voice as he glared at Kali. For her part, the goddess only then raised her eyes to meet his. “Once issues are resolved, you _will_ apologize to Dean for your slight, and then you will leave.”

The two deities blinked as the other man disappeared, leaving them alone. Rage returned to Kali's eyes as they shifted to Baldur, causing the god to back up with his hands raised.

“Kali, please do not forget the treaty,” He spoke up as her arms caught fire once more, before sparking out at his comment. “I came here specifically to have a chance to explain myself.”

“Then explain, Aesir,” She spit out. “Or step out of the hotel so we may chat like the gods we are.”

“I quite like the human way of communication for this matter, thank you very much. One of my titles is the god of reconciliation, after all-”

“ _Baldur_ ”

The man quit stalling and let out a sigh, rubbing his face before sitting down. Kali too took a seat, crossing her legs and leveling him with a heated gaze as he began to explain himself.

* * *

Dean was staring up at the sky, a troubled look on his face, when Castiel appeared. Neither beings spoke as the angel sat down next to his lover, leaning his arms back to rest against the roof as he too stared up at the sky, seeing something completely different from the demon.

Dean looked over after another moment of silence, keeping his arms crossed on his knees. “Sorry for leaving you down there.”

Castiel shook his head, a small smile on his usually stoic face. “You needed to leave, so you left; I cannot fault you for looking after yourself,” He answered, tilting his head towards Dean. “You do not ever need to apologize for that.”

Dean smiled weakly, and nothing more was said on the subject as the two once more returned to stargazing.

Minutes ticked by as Castiel looked towards his home, and Dean looked to where he could never reach.

“How do you keep this a secret from them if they're always looking down?”

It was a whisper, but Castiel still heard it and allowed a frown to fall over his features. “What do you mean, 'keep it a secret'? I do not.” He looked into Dean's horrified green eyes and tilted his head. “Is that wrong? My brothers and sisters know that coming after you would cause dire consequences, and I've protected you with the marks on your ribs.”

Dean winced at the memory; never let it be said that his lover's Grace didn't hurt like a bitch when working around his tainted soul to carve symbols into his vessel's ribs. He gently uncrossed his arms and rubbed at the suddenly aching bones.

“I can't see the winged douchebags enjoying their youngest sibling dating a demon,” He commented. “Archangel or not, they're bound to be protective of you since you came about last.”

Castiel frowned, ignoring the insult to his kin and tackling the bigger issue. “Perhaps, but they see that you bring me joy...” He searched the demon's eyes for something, frown deepening when he found it. “You fear them coming down here.”

“Of course I do! One human year is like milliseconds in angel time, maybe they just haven't processed it yet and once they do I'm gonna get the wrath of every overprotective angel in a fifty mile radius!” Dean threw his hands up before getting up himself, pacing back and forth on the roof.

“Dean, you seem to misinterpret the relationships between angels,” He spoke up, grabbing the demon's hand to pull him to a stop. “Though we call each other siblings, our relations are much more militaristic. With the exception of Gabriel, of course.” He tilted his head. “They cannot find you here at the Bunker, and if you leave the Bunker, then they cannot find you due to the markings. They would not dare smite you unless ordered by a higher commander than myself, and the only angel's with a higher rank than me are my archangel siblings.”

Dean stared at him, lowering himself back down and leaning his head on the angel's shoulder with a sigh.

“So, since we don't have to worry about Gabriel, or Lucifer for that matter-” Castiel flinched but didn't say anything about his fallen brother. “-then it's only Michael and Raphael, right?”

Castiel shook his head before resting it on Dean's own. “Michael is too wrapped up in both the war and himself to bother with me,” He frowned, thinking of Raphael, and not liking the realization that came about. “Raphael, however...he could be a problem if he puts his efforts into it.” He tilted his head a bit to rub his cheek against Dean's hair for comfort before continuing. “As long as I do my duties in both Heaven and the war, however, he should not have reason to put a bounty on you.”

Dean slid away from Castiel- causing the angel's head to drop before he righted himself- and looked into his eyes, a hand on both sides of his stubbled face. “But this _could_ be a problem, is what you're saying, right? Because, Cas, I feel like I've just gotten free and I really do not want to be wiped from existence before _at least_ a few millennia with you.”

“Dean,” Cas said with steel in his eyes. “I will fight Heaven, Hell, and all that lies in between in order to stay with you. If my duties in Heaven cause strife for you, I will leave. If my brothers or sisters attack you, I will kill them. If Raphael puts a price on your soul, I will personally watch the Grace spill from his vessel. I will not let you come to harm.”

They stayed there, staring into each others' eyes as Dean searched for a lie and Cas made sure that there wasn't one. Finally, Dean dropped his hands from Castiel's face and wrapped the archangel in a tight hug, shivering as the man's wings manifested out of his vessel and wrapped around him.

“Let's hope it doesn't come to that.”

But something settled deep in both their guts; an unnerving sensation that stated something very clear: It _would_ come to that. It's only a matter of time.

* * *

“So you hang out with demons.”

It was a statement, not a question, and Sam's passive gaze dared Gabriel to deny it. So, of course, he did.

“ _A_ demon. Singular. And I only did it in the beginning because Cassy started going all doe-eyed over him about two years back; all, _”Oh brother, I was sent to smite this demon but he complimented my fighting style and it gave me pause,”_ and, _”Gabriel the demon's name is Dean and I've invited him to pray to me if he needs to. His heart doesn't seem to be in this war.”_ The archangel scoffed. “I swear, Sammy, if I had to hear one more time about how for some reason my baby brother could see not only Dean's eyes, but his vessel's as well? Well, I would've dropped myself on my own angel blade-”

“Oh so I need an angel blade to kill you,” Sam cut in. “Good to know.”

“Ok, first of all,” Gabriel said, dropping back onto the bad next to Sam and pulling a pillow to his chest. “I'm kind of hurt that you're still thinking of ways to kill me. Secondly; if you think I'm gonna even let you near mine after _that_ comment, you are out of your mind.”

Sam found himself rolling his eyes at that; he'd just been in a room with gods, archangels, and a demon and all he did was shoot one with rock salt. If you ask him, he was already out of his mind.

__“__ Anyway,” The shorter man continued. “I got kinda sick of hearing Cassy gush over his Tall, Dark, and Flirty; I decided to go see what was so great about this random foot soldier myself.”

“I'm sure that went over well,” Sam said with a sigh, playing along when he realized Gabriel was pausing for dramatic effect.

“Oh, it did!” Gabriel crowed. “Turns out he wasn't some random foot soldier, but one of the highest ranking demons in Abaddon's army! And, lemme tell ya, considering his background that's damn impressi-”

“What about his background?”

“Don't worry about it, not important,” The archangel replied in a rush, looking away from the hunter. “So I go up to him, right? And this kids barely looks at me before he puts me on the ground; he's hovering over me all smirky-like, but he hasn't tried to kill me so I figure what Cassy had been saying was true, and that this Dean guy was a good egg,” At Sam's look, he amended,”So to speak, of course.”

“So...what, he didn't kill you right away so he's a good guy?” This was beginning to drive Sam crazy; he knew that the other man loved to drag out his stories, but the hunter was really hoping he'd just get to the point.

“Well, ye _ah-uh_ ,” Gabriel dragged out. “After all, if you've seen anything from the war you know that neither side hesitates, so it was pretty telling that I wasn't reforming my vessel moments after getting caught off guard like that. I may be in WitPro, but demons and angels can still tell what I really am; it's why I usually avoid them.” Gabriel rolled his eyes as though Sam's question was the dumbest he's ever heard before continuing. “So I just look up at Dean, all black eyes and smirking, and I go, 'Hey man, you wanna get a drink? I don't think Cassy would want either of us dead.' and Dean just laughs before helping me up and taking me to his favorite bar.”

Sam waits a second. Then two. Three. But Gabriel still isn't continuing.

“That's it?” He asks. “You guys don't kill each other, but get drinks instead, so he's cool?”

“Well, I mean, there's another year and a half worth of stories there,” Gabriel replies. “We kept getting drinks after that, and a year ago Dean officially defected from Hell. He's put a lot of time and love into my baby bro so I know he's a good guy. Especially because he didn't even deserve to be in Hell in the first pla-” His mouth clamped shut and Sam narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“What?”

“You said he didn't deserve to be in Hell.” Sam challenged.

“No I didn't,” Gabriel retorts, rolling off the bed and putting his back to Sam. “Those words did not leave my lips.”

“Yes, they di-”

“ _Drop it_ , Sam.” The reply was snapped, and Sam found himself blinking at the tone. Gabriel was serious for once. “That's not my story to tell.”

Sam let it drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines day >:D


	6. Dancing on a Wire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! Work kicked my ass for a while, but here's the newest chapter! As always, please leave a comment if you like it!

The next morning, the unlikely quartet gathered for breakfast; Kali and Baldur had left sometime in the early hours after waking the other four inhabitants up by literally shaking the hotel with their passionate make-up. Sam awkwardly sat down next to Gabe as Dean cooked, letting his eyes roam everywhere but the demon at the stove and the stoic Archangel across from him. He'd resorted to listening to the clock tick by the seconds and Gabriel and Castiel talked, when Dean spoke up, back still facing him.

“So Gabe,” He called out. “Any reason you decided to bring the hunter here?” His tone was completely neutral, but Sam could see the tension lining his shoulders as he flipped the pancake.

“He was close to here,” Gabriel answered with a shrug, leaning back in his seat and throwing an arm over the back of Sam's chair. “I thought I should finally bring the beau home to meet the fam.” 

If Sam hadn't been overloaded with all the information he'd been thrown last night, it probably would have registered to him that Gabriel all but announced that they were dating. Which they absolutely were _not_ , okay? They weren't! Gabriel frustrated Sam more than anyone he's ever met; the man acted like a child, uses _way_ too many dirty jokes, and pops in on Sam whenever he wants! Being an Archangel doesn't change those facts; if anything, it makes it worse, because he should know better than to act like that! No matter how funny he can be at times, or attractive or-

“Wait, what?”

Three pairs of eyes locked on him and Sam felt himself blush and shrank into his seat a bit, realizing he'd cut off his mental rant out loud. Gabriel took his arm off the back of Sam's chair and raised his hands in surrender. 

“Ok fine, so you aren't my beau, _yet_ ,” Sam was pretty sure that he didn't just imagine Castiel rolling his eyes at that before he returned to the pancakes on the stove. “But I did bring you to meet Cassy and Dean. And to, you know, keep you from hunting that werewolf because I'm gonna admit that that was my fault-”

“What did you do, Gabriel?” Castiel cut him off with a glare, causing Gabriel to roll his eyes and shift a little in his seat just as Dean brought the breakfast to the table.

“This hunter was killing born werewolves just because they were what they were. He was killing the pups and everything. So I turned him into one as payback an-”

“ _Gabe!_ ” Dean looked as scandalized as Sam felt, and Gab even flinched at the tone.

“I know, I know! But how was I supposed to know he'd end up going after twice as many people as an average rouge werewolf?!”

“Because, you dumbass! He was already a monster before you _gave him claws!_ ”

“Regardless,” Gabriel continued, not looking anyone in the eyes as he cut into his pancake with syrup. “I took care of it; turned him back and made a trail of the murders to lead back to him before dumping him in his motel with the boys in blue right outside his door.” He took a bite of the pancake and a sip out of his more-sugar-than-coffee mug, and made a bitter face. “I guess that's justice served, even if it's not Just Desserts.”

“Gabriel, you put many lives at risk for the sake of your Trickster persona.” Castiel spoke up again, not touching any of the food on the table, even though Dean had set a plate in front of him. Sam looked down at his own full plate and felt his stomach roll.

“You-” All eyes turned to him, but he set his on Gabriel. “You can _turn_ people into monsters?”

“Really, hunter? That's what you got from that?” Dean snapped, taking a sip of his beer- and really? It's seven in the morning and he's drinking a fucking beer? “All the shit you've seen him do, and that's surprising?”

Sam glared at him. “My name's _Sam_ , not _hunter_ , and I'm sorry if you're not severely disconcerted over the fact that he can change people into monsters at will but-”

“ _First of all!_ ” Dean cut him of, point the top of the bottle in Sam's direction. “Monsters are actions, not appearances or abilities; there are plenty of supernatural _beings_ ,” A lot of words had been stressed on during this little conversation, but Dean's forceful tone on that word indicated to Sam that it would be much appreciated-and probably safer for his livelihood- if he use that word instead of monsters. “That are much more _humane_ than humans themselves. Secondly, maybe if you'd have introduced yourself, I'd've known your name and been able to use it. Gabriel always just came in with, _'So that hunter I was telling you about-'_ and, _'I totally got my hunter's attention this time by-'_ and all that shit.” He finished his point by putting the bottle to his lips and taking a long pull. Sam pulled a face at that before dropping the previous topic and picking that one up.

“It's Sam Winchester.”

The face-full of beer that Gabriel got from Dean's surprise spit-take would have been pretty hilarious to Sam if he wasn't so damn confused. Because Dean looked genuinely pained as he began beating his chest, shooting Gabriel a look of betrayal the whole time. Gabriel, for his part, had paled a bit as he began to wipe his face with a napkin.

“W-Winchester?” Dean asked in a horse voice, flinching again when Sam just nodded. “What the hell, Gabriel?”

“I wasn't planning on telling you just yet!” Gabriel defended desperately. “I wanted to ease you into it, y'know?”

“You should have told me as soon as you decided to keep hanging on him!”

“What is going on?” Sam asked Castiel quietly. Regardless, Dean and Gabriel tensed and looked towards Castiel. Said angel tilted his head and looked at Sam before replying.

“Winchesters are famous for going after demons. In case you have forgotten, Dean is a demon.” he answered like it was obvious. Sam's soft 'oh' covered up Dean and Gabriel's sighs of relief. 

“I'm not gonna try and kill you or exorcise you or anything unless you do something,” Sam assured Dean, who looked tense regardless. “I'm not like my dad.”

Dean shot up from his seat at that, throwing his untouched plate into the sink and quickly making his way out of the room with Gabriel hot on his heels. Sam stared after them in shock.

“He does not like your father.”

Sam twisted back around in his seat to give Castiel a blank stare. “Oh, really? I'd never have guessed.” He swore he saw the angel's lips twist up at that. “You don't seem to have the same reaction as Dean, despite the fact that Winchesters are known for going after things like your...boyfriend?” The word felt odd on his lips, and he felt bad when he saw Castiel frown, despite not knowing what he'd said wrong.

“Dean is a being, not a thing,” Castiel reminded, and Sam murmured an apology upon realizing that was what made him frown. “And I know you speak the truth when saying you are not like John Winchester. Dean, even when he was still in Hell, was ordered to stay away from news of hunters and the like; it makes sense that he didn't recognize you.” Castiel tilted his head again and Sam got the full impact of that icy gaze. “Dean was always told to focus on the angels and the war, and stay away from the humans,” Castiel amended at Sam's confused look. “He had very little contact with anyone who dealt with hunters considering he was a soldier and not a crossroads demon; the only times he dealt with humans were during his rebellious trysts into bars, when he was able to hide from his superiors for a day or two; those humans had no knowledge of the supernatural and, therefor, no knowledge of you and your father's exploits. But everyone knows what type of person John Winchester is. Dean lost a close ally to his Colt.”

“Got it.” Sam replied, and he was pretty sure that he actually _did_ get it. Every demon would know of the Winchesters, but if you never planned on running across them because, say, you were _helping lead a war against Heaven_ , then you wouldn't need to know what the two humans looked like. Doesn't mean you didn't hear about them, though. Or lose friends to them.

At that moment, Dean came back into the kitchen, a pinched look on his face.

“Gabe just popped out. C'mon Sasquatch, I've gotta go shopping so I'll drop you off at your motel after we hit the grocery store.”

Sam gave a second of hesitation before sighing and getting up, setting his-also untouched- plate on the counter top next to the sink. “It was nice meeting you, Castiel.” He told to the now standing archangel with a small smile.

“It was nice meeting you as well, Sam. Perhaps we will see more of you now that we've been introduced.” Castiel said with a nod before walking over to Dean, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing with a flutter of wings.

As they walked out the front doors, Sam's heart leapt into his throat and stayed there until Dean personally unlocked the Impala's door. The demon looked at him, confused, before forcing out a soft, “What?”

“It's- uh...I just thought that that was my dad's car for a second.” Sam breathed out, watching Dean flinch and turn away from him to slide into the driver's seat. He followed a few seconds later and slid into the passenger side.

“Well, it ain't his,” Dean answered after a moment's hesitation. “This baby's all mine.”

“Yeah, ok.” Sam said, trying not to read into the pained expression on the demon's face. He remembered what Castiel said about Dean's feelings on John, and realized it probably hadn't been a good idea to compare the two by mentioning they had the same car.

Sam settled in and kept quite as Dean put on some music and pulled out of the Elysian Fields parking lot.


	7. Point of No Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait y'all! (Yes RetickLover I saw your comment lol). I've got one co-worker sick in the hospital and another was on vacation last week so I was pulling 9 and a half to 10 hour shifts for the past week and a half or so. It kinda left me drained. I was able to churn this one out so I hope you like like it! As always, please leave a comment telling me what you think!

The rest of the ride was in a tense silence, neither hunter nor demon so much as glancing at each other out of their peripherals. Dean knew that he was being a bit unfair to Sam, but after Gabriel just popped out on him with a short “Get to know him!”, Dean wasn't feeling all that amicable. It was nothing against Sam personally; the hunter had done nothing to Dean, but he had become a hunter like John Winchester none-the-less. It rubbed him the wrong way and he was silently taking it out on Sam, since John himself wasn't there.

“We're here,” Dean said, parking the car and grabbing Sam's arm before he could step out of the car. “Keep your head down, a'ight? The store's on a crossroads and we don't need a Salesman to see you or me and think they're putting two and two together.”

Sam made a face, but nodded and let his shoulder's hunch in a weak attempt to make himself seem smaller, causing Dean to roll his eyes as he grabbed a cart.

“So, Gabriel told me a bit, but...how did you and Castiel come to meet?” Sam knew that he was venturing into personal territory that he really had no right in, but he's been holding back so many questions since Gabriel first brought him to the hotel that he was starting to get antsy over the lack of knowledge.

Dean gave him a sideways glance as he leaned on the cart, pushing it slowly down the isles. “I was high-ranking in Abaddon's army. Cas was sent to kill me.” He paused by the produce, picking out green onions, broccoli, and other ingredients he'd need for his stir fry tonight. “He underestimated my abilities; I think his orders were vague about just _where_ I was in the ranks, because he certainly wasn't prepared for me to know he was coming.” Dean paused at Sam's questioning head tilt, and sighed when he said nothing. “You already asked me about it, you can ask for an elaboration.”

“How did you know he was coming after you?” Sam asked warily. He didn't know too much about the organization of the Angels and Demons in the war, but he was pretty sure they wouldn't give their targets a heads up. The dark smile Dean gave in response sent a chill down his spine, and it had nothing to do with the refrigeration of the produce section they'd just left.

“I had just finished torturing the Scout they'd sent ahead of Cas to get info on me. Some low-level named Samandriel.” Another head tilt had Dean rolling his eyes. “I didn't kill him, I kept the screw in his head to ke-”

“ _What_ screw?” Sam hissed, taking a step to the side to distance himself from Dean, who huffed.

“You don't know anything, do you?” It was said in aggravation, but Sam could swear he heard some worry in there. “The hell was John-” that was definitely spat with malice- “teaching you?” He waved off Sam's attempt at a reply, grabbing a bag of chips off the shelf and examining it as though he actually cared about the ingredients. In truth, he didn't want to look Sam in the eye as he said the next part.

“If you angle a screw- or anything, really- just right into the forehead of an Angel's vessel, you can sever their telepathic link to Heaven; no orders, no chatter from Angle Radio, no S.O.S.” He dropped the bag into the cart and pushed forward. “Get enough practice, and you can do it in one shot.”

Sam made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. “And let me guess, you have enough practice?”

The grunt Dean gave in reply wasn't very reassuring.

“How much practice?”

“Hell time? I've been a demon for about twenty-seven hundred years, not counting this year since I've been on earth the whole time.”

“Hell time?” Sam asked, mind spinning. Dean sighed as he dropped a can in the cart.

“Christ,” he swore, eyes shifting black at the minor curse. “You really don't know shit.”

“That's not-”

“For every month on earth, hell is ten years.” Dean cut him off, a soft glare daring him to complain. He saw Sam pale a bit and gave him a deprecating smirk. “Yeah, you thought eternal damnation was bad when you'd be suffering it earth time. Strongest soul I've ever seen break was only there about 5 months earth time.”

“But that...you've only existed for...” Dean could swear he could see the smoke coming out of Sam's brain as he tried to do the math. “...twenty-two? Twenty-three years?” Dean didn't want to be the one to crush the look of wonderment on Sam's face, so he just gave an uncomfortable shrug and headed for the frozen section.

“Something like that, sure. A little longer, though.” Sam's look didn't change. “What, did you think all demons have been around since just after Lucifer fell? There are demons even younger than me.”

“I...I don't know. I mean like, logically-”

“Applying logic to the supernatural always works out well,” Dean snarked, ignoring Sam's glare.

“I knew that there had to be older and younger demons,” Sam continued where Dean had cut him off. “I just never thought they'd be _so_ young. I mean, man, you're younger than me!”

Dean grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like _'older than you'_ , but Sam assumed he was measuring himself in hell years, so he let it go.

“ _Any_ way,” Dean drawled, getting back onto the original topic. “I was ready when Cas came down all holy fury and might; I got rid of his angle blade right off the bat, and from there it was basically CQC while trying to make sure he couldn't get a hold of me long enough to smite me-” Sam cracked a smile and that and Dean realized that was the first time he hasn't had a negative emotion on his face since Gabriel had popped in with him. “-And I'm having a lot of trouble with it, 'cause Cas can kick major ass. Naturally, when I have him pinned for a second, I lean in and tell him that I appreciate his fighting style. I think my exact words were, 'Well, you may have a stick up your ass, but at least you don't fight like it. Good job.'”

Sam laughed. “You stopped a fight to flirt?”

“Absolutely! Have you seen Cas?” Dean waved his arms in emphasis. “Besides, it gave him enough pause from confusion that I high-tailed it outta there. I didn't even know Cas was an Archangle until I got back and let Samandriel go, telling him to tell the angle they sent after me that I look forward to our next date. Lemme tell you, I think he got too many surprises that day.”

“Whadd'ya mean?”

“Well a) I let him go instead of killing him- _don't give me that look_.” Dean shifted his glance away from Sam as he tensed a bit. He had to remind himself that killing any enemy in your path wasn't exactly normal, and talking to a human about killing or torturing an apparent holy entity was bound to come out bad no matter how he said it. “B) I came back alive when he assumed I was going to my end, and c) I survived an archangel and told him to tell said being that I looked forward to seeing him again. I sent him off with this dazed look in his eyes.”

“That's crazy,” Sam said, shaking his head as they got in line. “But why did you let him free? Aren't you guys sort of always at each other's throats?”

Dean shrugged, putting the groceries on the belt. “I mean, yeah, but I never gave a shit about the war, I was just doing what I knew; what I was trained to do.” His eyes darkened at the thought, and it had nothing to do with his demonic powers. He thought back to his training under Alastair and felt his fingers twitch as he remembers killing the bastard a few months before leaving Hell. It was pretty easy to blame the death on an angel when he used the being's blade after killing her first.

He shook out of his thoughts and smiled at the cashier as he handed over the money and grabbed his bags, nodding to Sam as the hunter grabbed the rest.

They had just gotten everything into the backseat when a voice called out.

“Winchester?!”

Sam and Dean tensed simultaneously, snapping around to see wide red eyes staring back at them.

“Holy shit. Holy _shit!_ ” The crossroads demon was all but jumping for joy. “I can't believe my fuckin' luck!”

“What the hell'r'y-” Dean began, only to stop and pale as the other demon brought out a familiar bowl.

“Gotta go! But I'll be seeing you soon,” His voice dropped as he grinned, shifting his eyes between the two. “Botha you.”

And he was gone. 

Dean let out a curse and jumped into the driver's seat. “Get in the car!” he yelled to Sam, peeling out of the parking lot as soon as the hunter had both feet in.

“Who was that?”

“Low level crossroads demon that hangs out around here. I think his name's Griffin or some shit. That bowl is used to communicate with Hell.”

Sam was quiet for a tense moment, before speaking up slowly. “So he's gonna...”

“Call Hell, yeah. He's gonna tell them I was in the general area, with you, a _Hunter_ , and Abaddon's gonna send people after me. Us.” His grip on the wheel tightened. “Looks like you're stayin' with us for an undermined amount of time. Gabe will be thrilled.” 

Sam tried not to take the deadpan of that last sentence personally, gripping the seat a little tighter as Dean sped up even more.

* * *

They made back to the bunker in record time, Dean all but flying out of the car and running through the front doors. Sam sighed and grabbed the groceries; it wouldn't do to have the frozen stuff and meat go bad if they were planning on staying in for a while to stay safe. 

He pushed the door open in time to hear Cas saying, “-Samandriel while you were gone. He informed me of an order out on both of us.”

“An order?” Sam called out, walking towards the two. Dean had both his hands gripping his hair, and he was staring at the ground like the world was ending. And, well...

Castiel's gaze met his and he grabbed the bags before disappearing without a word. With nothing to occupy his hands, Sam stuffed them in his pockets until Cas returned.

It didn't take long; the man was back in his spot less than a minute later, putting a hand on a mute Dean's shoulder and nodding to Sam.

“Abaddon and Raphael have ordered their soldiers to attack and kill both me and Dean on sight. I was visiting another angel, Samandriel, when he told me. I can no longer return to my duties in Heaven.”

Sam felt a lead weight settle in his stomach. 

“Sam was seen with me. He's in trouble too now,” Dean whispered, not looking up from the ground.

The lead weight turned to ice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Griffin is my shitty attempt at furthering plot. He knew he was no match for Dean and a hunter so he just left to tell everyone else where they were unstead. I'm pretty sure he'll never show up again.


End file.
